The past eighteen months have been notable ones for the CC4 Museum of Welsh Cricket, based at the headquarters of Glamorgan County Cricket Club in Sophia Gardens.
Having become in 2018 the first fully-accredited cricket museum in the UK (as recognised by the Arts Council), the Museum was awarded during 2019 with a VAQAS certificate by Visit Wales as part of its prestigious Visitor Attraction Quality Assurance Scheme.
Important developments will continue during 2020, with the coming months seeing the Museum launch its new website, sharing a host of information about the long and proud heritage of cricket in Wales, as well as showing a selection of images from the Museum’s collection.
A trial version of the website is now available at www.glamorgancricketarchives.com, with sections outlining the spread of cricket throughout Wales from the 1770s onwards, as well as information on some of the key events in each of the districts (using the pre-1974 county divisions). In addition, the website highlights the crucial role of cricket clubs in the evolution of other ball games in Wales, including football and rugby. There is also a section devoted to the landmarks and milestones in the development of the game, together with an A-Z of the clubs and teams, as mentioned in 19th century newspapers in Wales.
Thanks to generous financial support from the Heritage Fund, as well as the Association of Independent Museums and the Museums Federation, a Library facility will be created during the coming months. In addition to bookcases and storage units, a new terminal and research area will be created so that visitors can view the thousands of images which have been digitized and conserved by the Museum’s team of enthusiastic volunteers, as well as look at and study the books and other paper-based material in the Museum’s collection.
To assist in the ongoing development of these new facilities, we would welcome your thoughts and feedback on the new online content, as well as receiving any additional information you would like to add, in terms of images which you believe will add further to the fascinating story of the first-ever team game in Wales.
Please send an email with your thoughts and contributions to museum@glamorgancricket.co.uk